The Toronto Blue
Jays traded a significant amount of their minor league talent to the Miami
Marlins this past offseason in a huge trade that netted Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and
Josh Johnson among others. Despite the deal, their cupboard is far from bare. Outfielder
Kevin Pillar is one of the organization’s best young players and may also be
the most underrated hitting prospect in all of baseball.
Pillar, a
24-year-old right-handed hitter, doesn’t get a lot of attention but all he does
is hit and get closer to being major league-ready.
He grew up in
California and enjoyed an outstanding high school career, culminating in a .463
batting average as a senior.
He went on to
play for Cal State-Dominguez Hills, becoming one of the best players in team
history. In 2010, he set a Division-II record by hitting safely in 54 consecutive games,
besting the previous record of 49 games set by Southern’s Nick Diyorio.
The Blue Jays
made Pillar their 32nd-round draft choice in 2011. He may have gone
earlier, but playing for a smaller school prevented him from receiving the same
level of attention afforded to other prospects.
Pillar came out
swinging to start his professional career and hasn’t stopped since.
He hit .347 in
60 games in the Rookie League in 2011.
Last season, he
split his time between Single-A and high Single-A, and was an offensive
juggernaut. He combined to hit .323 with six home runs, 91 RBI and 51 stolen
bases in 128 games.
In addition to
his impressive offense, he’s also an excellent fielder, able to play all three
outfield positions, though he is best in one of the corner spots.
Pillar is
scheduled to open the 2013 season with Double-A New Hampshire. If he continues
hitting at a torrid pace, he shouldn’t be far away from the majors.
I had the chance
to catch up with the Toronto prospect over the winter. Check out what he had to
say about baseball and his career, and make sure to follow him as he starts his
third season as a professional player.
Kevin Pillar Interview:
Who was your favorite player when
you were growing up, and why?: Growing
up my favorite player was Cal Ripken, Jr. I loved the way he was such an iron
man and was mentally able to get himself on the field every day despite aches,
pains and sometimes injuries. I pride myself on being able to do that. There
are many days throughout a long season in which you are not going to feel your
best or have areas that don’t feel so well, but I consider myself extremely
mentally tough and push myself to get on the field every single day.
What do you consider to be the
best aspect of your game?: The best aspect of
my game is my mental toughness. It is something that I have learned over time
and something that my parents taught me at a young age. Being mentally strong
will counter playing against more talented players. On the field my biggest
strength is the ability to hit pitches in the zone, as well as balls out of the
zone. I pride myself on being a contact hitter that can use all areas of the
field, and want to be the toughest out for a pitcher every single at-bat I
take.
What were your expectations going
into the 2011 MLB Draft?: Going into the 2011
draft I felt like all the work I had put in at Dominguez Hills and all the work
I put in playing summer ball and working out would pay off. I did not know
where I was going to go in the draft and obviously had higher hopes than going
in the 32nd round, but I knew that where I was selected was out of my control,
and what I could control is what I could do once I was given an opportunity to
put a uniform on.
Can you talk about how the Blue
Jays came to draft you?: I had been in
contact with a couple Blue Jays scouts throughout my senor season but nothing
that indicated that I would be selected by them. I also went to a local
pre-draft workout for Toronto and ran my fastest 60-time of any other pre-draft
workouts I went to. I was pretty confident with what I did at the workout but
still did not guarantee that I would be selected by them come June. I watched
all three days of the draft, and just waited with anticipation. I would be
lying if I didn’t say that there were times that I got frustrated and nervous
that my childhood dream would not come true. Finally in the 32nd round, three
days later, I heard my name called by them and could not be any happier.
What was your transition from metal
to wood bats like?: I had used wood
bats in summer ball and I liked to hit batting practice with wood bats in
college, but never against the competition that I faced in professional
baseball. It is definitely an adjustment, especially when I played four years
of college with metal bats. Luckily I was able to make that transition sooner
than later and was able to have a pretty good first season of professional
baseball.
How surprised are you that you
have hit .331 in your first two seasons?: I am extremely
confident in myself and extremely driven. I cannot say I am surprised, but
definitely happy with how my first two seasons have gone. I have put a lot of
work into being able to hit .331 over my first two years and am still not
satisfied. I know where I can make improvements and am going to work extremely
hard in the offseason to improve on the first two years.
How difficult is it to try and
stand out in the minors as a low round draft pick?: Once you put a uniform on all that stuff goes out the
window. Yes, it is a little bit more difficult as a low-round draft pick to get
opportunities, but you will get your opportunity and it’s that much more
important to make them count. I know that it’s a stigma that will follow me the
rest of my career, and yes it maybe a little bit more difficult to stand out,
but I am only worried about the things that I can control and my effort on and
off the field.
What kind of knowledge and
connection do you have with baseball history?: I love baseball and the history of the game. I grew up
in the Los Angeles area and am a huge Dodgers fan and have a lot of knowledge
about them and the history of the game. I love reading about players in the
past and events that took place. I love watching stuff on MLB Network and have
much respect for players and people involved in the game and have they have
made it American’s pastime.
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